The eye is one of the important organs for humans to obtain outside information. The health of the eye is getting more and more attention. Regular examinations of the eye typically include anterior segment examination and/or fundus examination. The anterior segment examination includes examinations of the iris, pupil, sclera, and the like.
Some existing apparatuses or devices used for eye imaging, such as those disclosed in Chinese Patent Application No. 200620096156.5 and Chinese Patent Application No. 201380057539.4, have not solved the problem of the light source having a reflection on the sclera and therefore on the wide-field image of the sclera. Among similar devices and methods, the structure of the device disclosed in Chinese Patent Application No. 201380057539.4 is the most complicated and representative. That device, through a complex motor control device, guides a camera to track and image the eye surface or pupil in a three-dimensional movement (i.e., x-y-z axis) of the eye. The captured image from a given position of the camera is used to determine whether the image should be rejected due to the existence of a reflection on that image, or whether multiple images should be taken from that position. Upon detection of the presence of a reflective image at a spot or region of interest in the eye, the motor control device is required to adjust the position of a sight guidance system and the position of the camera. Through the adjustment, the spot or region of interest in the eye is moved away from the reflective image of the light source, and the eye is imaged again to avoid reflection of the light source and/or other artifacts associated with imaging, and to ensure the image quality of that particular spot or region in the eye that is expected to be monitored. Obviously, this method of adjusting the position of the sight guidance system and the camera by the motor control device to allow the particular spot or region in the eye to be away from the reflection image is not only troublesome in operation and time consuming, but also complicated in the structure of the control system device. Furthermore, the method does not fundamentally solve the problem caused by the reflection of the light source, and does not directly mitigate the impact of that reflection.
The device disclosed in Chinese Patent Application No. 201380057539.4 for imaging the eye at a particular point or region uses one camera right in front of the eye, which cannot capture a wide-field image of the sclera without reflections. Multiple cameras must be used to meet the requirement of imaging multiple points or regions in the eye to obtain quality images that are free from reflections of the light source and/or other artifacts during imaging. This is because none of the multiple cameras can perform, without interruption, a wide-field imaging of the entire sclera without light reflections. Rather, multiple cameras are used to each capture images of a part (a particular point or region) of a sclera, and then the individual images are edited through an image mosaic reconstruction method in order to obtain a larger wide-field image of the sclera without reflection of the light source. In sum, the whole process disclosed in Chinese Patent Application No. 201380057539.4 is time-consuming and troublesome and requires many steps of editing a large number of images.
Therefore, there is a need for an eye imaging analysis system which is fast in producing good quality images of the eye, such as a wide-field image of the sclera. The present disclosure addresses this and the related needs, such as analyzing the physiological and/or pathological changes of a subject in order to better meet the requirements of different areas of use, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and/or prognosis of a disease or condition.